Inside: Do you have leftover apples? Ask your kids to help you turn them into a delicious apple sorbet.

“Mom, I want an apple, please.”

You pick an apple, rub it carefully with your fingers under running water, dry it with a fluffy kitchen towel, and hand it to your darling child with a smile.

Five minutes later, you find that apple minus two bites sitting on a table with your child nowhere in sight.

“Hey,” you shout in the direction of the playroom, “aren’t you gonna finish that apple?”

You hear, “I’m done, Mommy” and sigh.

What do you do with this apple now? You can’t eat all of your kids’ unfinished apples no matter how good they are for you. You can save it for later, but there is really a slim chance it will actually be eaten.

Want to know what I do?

I chop them up and throw them in the freezer.

Frozen apples have a lot of uses in my house:

I brew some chamomile or peppermint tea. It’s burning hot. I throw in a few chunks of frozen apples to cool it down and jazz it up with a bit of flavor.

We finish dinner and, since eating with little children is akin to living through a hurricane (“I spilled my milk!” “I need a different spoon!” “Can you help me put butter on my bun?”), sometimes I’m not sure if I ate enough or not. I usually have, but while I’m trying to decide that, I suck on frozen apple chunks as I clean the kitchen. It prevents me from grabbing food from my kids’ plates and ending up eating calories I don’t really need.

I crave a cold treat. Or my kids tell me, “I want something cold.” Is ice cream really necessary? Most of the time, it’s not. Why consume 300-400 of (mostly empty) calories when a frozen apple can satisfy that craving.

When frozen apples don’t cut it anymore and you want the real thing with sugar and all, enter apple sorbet. Yummy, easy, and packed with antioxidants. It’s a dessert that is actually good for you. Can we ask for more?

For us, making an apple sorbet is such a permanent part of our lives, I don’t know how it’s possible to live a life without apple sorbet in it. (A touch too dramatic?) This recipe is perfect to make with kids, and I try to involve my kids in the kitchen any chance I get. I believe it’s the only way to avoid picky eating and to raise healthy eaters for life.